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Daily Archives: September 8, 2010

If Wednesday night’s game was a playoff preview, what a Freedom Division Championship Series it will be.

On a true fall night at windy TD Bank Ballpark, the Somerset Patriots overcame a four-run deficit and used clutch hitting to defeat the York Revolution 7-6.

With the score tied 5-5 and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, pinch hitter Michael Hernandez worked the count full against reliever Sean Stidfole before drilling an RBI single off the left-center-field wall. Hernandez then scored a crucial run on Iggy Suarez’s RBI single.

Scott Williamson earned the save despite allowing a home run to Scott Grimes. An error by catcher Jason Belcher and a single put the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base with one out, but Williamson secured the victory for reliever Ben Grezlovski.

Starters Bill Pulsipher and Julio Manon allowed five runs apiece while both working into the sixth inning.

The Patriots trailed 4-0 after the top of the second inning but fought back to even the score 5-5 after the sixth behind homers by Joe Burke, Josh Pressley and Noah Hall.

It was the final regular-season meeting between the first-half champion Revolution and Patriots, who are set up to meet in the Freedom Division Championship Series. The Patriots, who hold a four-game lead over the Lancaster Barnstormers in the second-half standings, won the season series 11-9.

BRIDGEWATER — In his short Somerset Patriots career, Joel Kirsten has won two more championship rings than regular-season baseball games.

Joel Kirsten is 2-1 in four playoff starts for the Patriots over the past two seasons. (Courtesy of the Patriots)

The statistic is the product of an unusual relationship between pitcher and team, who recently joined forces for the third straight September in hopes of duplicating history.

Kirsten made invaluable contributions in each of the past two postseasons and will have the opportunity to do the same again if the Patriots hang onto their lead in the Atlantic League Freedom Division.

First, however, Kirsten’s new teammates faced the York Revolution on Wednesday night at TD Bank Ballpark.

“I don’t want to be that guy at the end of the year, that (people ask), “Who’s this guy?’ ” said Kirsten, who is 0-1 in two regular-season starts, but 2-1 in four playoff starts for the Patriots. “These guys have given blood, sweat and tears the whole time. I’m just trying to give as much as they’ve put in the whole year to make it seem like I haven’t just been here a couple weeks.”